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Family Fitness Tips

Have fun with your family while keeping fit! Quick workouts, fitness fun, family games, and healthy recipes.
Courtesy of
:
Sam Hawley
The Fitness Prescription


I hope you enjoy these tips
. Feel free to browse our extensive archive for past posts and tips.
​**As with all fitness activities, please consult your physician before participating in any activity or diet.


If you wish to receive day-to-day fitness advice, click the link below to follow them.

Follow The Fitness Prescription

8 Ways to get the Most from your Workout

10/14/2014

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If you are reading my blog, chances are you either are a fitness guru who loves health and wellness or you are someone aspiring to be fit and well. Either way, many of us have bad habits keeping us from being the most healthy that we can be. Hopefully some of these fitness tips help you achieve your best in the fitness world. 

1.) Drink water. No, I did not say "drink fluids" because diet soda and fruit juice do not count as water. Drink water. I have a horrible habit of not drinking enough water and I pay for it every time. I have made a new rule for myself to drink a whole glass of water before anything else in the morning and to carry around a bottle of water to refill throughout the day. If you have access to water at all times, you are more likely to actually drink it. Staying hydrated helps you recover faster from your workouts and not fatigue as rapidly during them. It also benefits your skin in keeping it clear, fresh, and young longer. Hydration protects your kidneys from rhabdomyolysis (that scary thing you hear about on the news that happens when people work out too hard). The signs of  it are back pain and dark urine and it is a sign that your kidneys are shutting down from hypoperfusion. So, HYDRATE.

2.) Compete for you. Many of us have intangible goals for our fitness such as "I just want to be healthier" or "stronger" or "lose 20 pounds" ( I consider this intangible because in getting fit your body composition changes so you may be gaining muscle and losing fat, but staying the same weight). Try something new with your goals and set up a competition for yourself. If you are planning to run a marathon you HAVE to train for it, and it is the same for most fitness competitions. If you like to run, sign up for a 5k or half marathon. If you like to lift, sign up for a spartan race or a lifting competition. If you are a dancer, sign up for a dance competition in your local area. There are so many ways to motivate yourself that make you really strive for your goals. While the goal of looking good for Spring break seems reasonable, it is really hard to grasp what you really mean and to show yourself that you are accomplishing your goals. Set a tangible goal and work hard for it.

3.) Be accountable. Either get a workout buddy that will make sure you show up to your workout each day or assign a friend to ask you about your workout each evening via text or phone call. Guilt goes a long way in helping you keep your promises to yourself. Eventually, fitness will become a part of your routine. Until then, have other people help you stay on track. I even have an alarm called "Get up or you will lose all your muscle!". I know it is cheesy, but it reminds me that that extra few minutes of sleep is not really as awesome as training.

4.) Keep track of your progress. NOT ON THE SCALE. So many people are focused on the weight on the scale that they do not notice the real, healthy changes their bodies are going through in the process of getting fit. When you start training properly, you often gain muscle and lose fat, sometimes in equal amounts. Here is the thing, 1 lb of muscle up and 1 lb of muscle down does not change the numbers on the scale but does change how your clothes fit and your body fat percentage. Instead of weighing yourself hyper-religiously while you are training, keep progress photos of yourself over time. That way you can see in real time the progress you have made. The tiny day-to-day changes are not always apparent to us until we look back on where we started. 

5.) Eat protein post-workout. Real science time: Human Growth Hormone and Insulin directly compete with each other in your body. So when insulin is high, HGH levels go down. HGH is secreted when you workout to help build muscle and burn fat. HGH is highest for the 2 hours after exercise and continues to be secreted for 24 hours. Sugars, carbs, and even fructose (fruit sugars) make your insulin levels go up which make your HGH secretion halt. Instead of grabbing carbs, a power bar, or even fruit after training, eat eggs or as pure of proteins as you can get. If you are able to wait out those 2 hours without passing out and sustain with just protein, you will be giving your body a better chance to take advantage of your exercise. 

6.) Plan fit activities. Date nights and girl's nights are a great time to relax and stop worrying about work and school, but why not make these fun times serve two purposes. Forgo the dinner and movie plans and opt for an activity that gets your heart racing. Try going rock climbing, bowling, or to laser tag. You can even take dance classes in a group or take a self-defense class with friends. You may even want to sign up for a 5k for charity with your friends!

7.) Put your clothes out the night before. When I do laundry on Sundays, I plan out my workout clothes for the week and have them sitting out each night. This gives me a real-time reminder that I need to work out and also removes any excuses of "I forgot my gym clothes" from my list. Giving yourself a head start on your workout by simply having your outfits ready to go gets you excited and ready for the workouts of the week. Try it out. 


8.) Have reasonable rewards. We all do it. We tell ourselves that we can eat the whole cake because we worked out today. We compromise with ourselves that we can have whatever we want if we moved enough that day. And that totally worked in high school. But it is time to get serious about health. Working out is not just for short term results or the event next week, it is for our complete health and wellness. So, while that huge froyo seems like a perfect reward for your hard workout, give yourself a more productive prize. Find something moderately healthy that you love and can reward yourself with ( I love Justin's almond butters and use those to treat myself). Even better, pick an item that you have been eyeing for a while, like a pair of shoes, and once you hit a certain number of completed workouts or even hit a fitness goal, treat yourself to those awesome shoes. That's a win-win if I have ever heard of one. 

I hope this list helped focus your fitness plans. I know life gets busy quickly, but prioritizing your health and wellness is necessary to better your quality of life now and in the future. The more you know, the more effective your time training can be. Enjoy your wellness :)

2 Comments

Pool Games and Fitness

8/6/2014

1 Comment

 
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Summer is in full swing and, for many of us, that means time by the pool! It is so easy to just sit out in the sun and let the kids tire themselves out swimming around. Why not turn pool time into family fitness time by incorporating some awesome games and challenges to take on by the water? Some of my favorite summer memories were of throwing a ball by the pool or beating my dad is a swimming race (he may tell you he won, but I know the truth ;) ). There a great ways to accidentally get a workout in while sitting by the pool and enjoying the summer with the kids.

Play flying catch: Grab a football or a softer nerf ball and head to the water. One person sit in the water and throw the ball, with a good arch, into another part of the water. Have one person start outside the pool and jump into the pool to try to catch the ball as it flies through the air. Let both kids and adults play on both sides to get a great work out and have some competitive fun. As always, watch your kids around water and ensure the pool is deep enough to safely jump into. Explain to your kids how to jump far enough from the edge of the pool that they are safe. You can make this game more safe by both parties remaining in the pool and leaping from side to side within the water to catch the ball. 

Relay races: Choose some "olympic" swim strokes and have the kids (and the adults too!) race back and forth across the pool to see who is fastest. You can also use pool toys or a ball to throw and see who can get to the item fastest and bring it back to the starting point. Making fitness competitive and playful allows people to forget they are even working out.

Muscle group swimming: Grab a float or a pool noodle and race around the pool using only your arms or only your legs (first to cheat loses!). It is a great way to exercise, get some sun, and laugh at all the different techniques people use to get around. 

While many of these are common summer play for people, some people do not think of making the pool into a fitness game. Try these out and enjoy exercise with your kids this summer!


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Family Obstacle Course

6/10/2014

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Obstacle courses are a favorite for adults and kids alike who want to have a great time getting exercise. Instead of spending large amounts of money to enter an obstacle course for kids, try making your own and seeing if they like it first. If it becomes a favorite activity, there are quite a few companies who have professional obstacle courses in which kids are able to compete. There are some listed below.

The best thing about a make-your-own obstacle course is that you can do it indoors or outdoors depending on the weather. This is a perfect way to get the kids (and parents) up and moving while school is out.

Indoor ideas: Carry a ball from one bucket to another, crawl under chairs or tables, carry a loaded backpack up stairs, spin in circles around a bat, jump over a toy ten times, bear crawl through the hall,  do three forward rolls. You can get creative depending on what sorts of items are in your house. Be sure to make a goal for the kids such as a time to beat or number of activities to complete.

Outdoor ideas: This would be very easy to do at a park with a playground or even in your backyard if you have interesting toys. Make up a routine of activities to perform and try to do it with the kids. This can include crossing the monkey bars, running up the slide, climbing a rope, carrying a sand bag, doing cartwheels across a field. Use your imagination! Rainey week? Use the mud as part of the course!

Equipment: If you want to make your obstacle courses even more exciting, there are a few items that are cheap and easy to buy that can make this activity even more memorable. Hula hoops make great holes to climb through or jump into. Cones are perfect for sprinting drills and cutting in and out. Pool noodles can be used a javelins. Speed ladders are great additions to teach speed and coordination. You can even construct arches out of PVC piping to jump over or crawl through.


The famous Spartan Races even have a kid obstacle course, if your young ones end up loving this activity. Check it out at
http://www.spartankids.com/


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Fitness Vacations

5/13/2014

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Did you know that there are companies that specifically create fitness and wellness vacations? You can basically sign up for a trip that fuels you full of healthy food and gets you working out in fun ways and in beautiful places. This seems like an absolute dream vacation to me. Some are tailored to you liking and others seem very specific to certain kinds of training.

Spartan Race Cruise: This sounds amazing for all of those people out there who love obstacle courses, races, marathons, and high-intensity training... mixed with a cruise, of course! The Spartan race has taken on a tropical vibe and March 6-9, 2015 they are offering an all-inclusive cruise with a race destination to be held on a private island in the Caribbean. WHAT? That sounds awesome. Check this out through the Reebok Spartan Race website.

There are many companies that also offer fitness retreats all over the world. You can find surf retreats, biggest loser hotels, yoga get-aways, hiking and spa resorts, and just about any kind of fitness get-away that strikes your fancy.

You can even take this idea and do it yourself! Take the family to a resort or a local hotel that has a great view, a beach, a spa, or even just a stellar fitness center and create special meal plans and workout schedules that include awesome activities. Get creative in the training by having one day be full of rock climbing, another include laps in the pool or running on the beach, or even have family sporting events in the sand. There are so many ways to get everyone involved and healthy while enjoying the escape of a vacation. 

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Who is TheFitnessPrescription?

5/6/2014

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As a health advocate and lover of all things fitness, I love writing for ThemeTrip and encouraging families to love fitness with me! Now that you have read some of my favorite "Family Fitness" ideas, I thought I would share a little bit about myself so that you can understand my ideas and love for all things fitness. I love speaking to and working with families that struggle to get their kids excited to train and to get the children off of the video games and out of the house. This is such a common struggle, that it has become an exciting task for which I work to figure out solutions.

I am an upcoming third year medical student (only 2 more years until I can put that M.D. behind my name and I can't wait!). I spend most of my time between the library and the gym, but it is worth it to gain knowledge in helping people and to maintain my own sanity. I also work as a fitness instructor at the campus recreation center in order to continue my love of encouraging others to become and remain fit. I enjoy that I have access to information and research that can explain the intricacies of how the body reacts to foods, diets, and certain forms of exercise (and I must say that I research all of that more than I have time for because it is so interesting!).

I not only love working out for the sake of helping others, I love it because of my history as an athlete. Much of my life has been focused around sports including martial arts, soccer, and softball (and a few others as well!). I have been able to combine the knowledge of being on teams with my understanding of fitness through sport-focused training. This has helped me understand better how the body works and the stresses it is able to handle. I LOVE SPORTS and I think they are great for families to participate in together. My family all did martial arts together my entire life as well as helped me train in each sport I was involved in. I can truly say that a family that trains together stays together :).

Now that you know a little more about my background, I wanted to share a few things that I have learned in my process of mixing fitness blogging and medical school.

1. Exercise DIRECTLY affects your mental health and ability to learn. The hormones released when you exercise actually increase the connections between the neurons of your brain and give them food for growth. You actually learn better and retain your mental capacity longer if you are active.

2. Sugar is addictive. Like cocaine-level addictive! After reading all of the research on sugar (and loving sweets so very much), I did a sugar detox. You go through withdrawals for a bit and then your body and your brain start working better than ever. It is crazy what we put into our bodies that we know nothing about.

3. Everything must be done in moderation. The good and the bad all have limits. For example:
Growth hormone burns fat and builds muscle.
Low blood sugars increase growth hormone.
Exercise increases growth hormone.
Growth hormone sounds awesome right? Well, it is, in certain quantities.
Too much growth hormone also creates insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes.
The point: everything in moderation :)

4. When they talk about needing sunlight to get vitamin D, you think, "Let's tan!". In reality, it only takes 10-15 minutes outside 3 or so times a week to get the max vitamin D that your body needs
. Don't over do it and risk skin cancer! (And wear sunscreen when you walk out of the house... shameless plug for preventive medicine).

5. Enjoy yourself! Whether it be work, family, or fitness, keeping your stress levels low and your happiness high is the key to your health. Stress makes you gain weight, lose your hair, break out and be frustrated. Take some time for yourself and consider it a preventive medicine measure to help you protect yourself from getting sick.
You do not want to end up wasting all of that gym time have endured only to counteract it with stress hormones!

Hope everyone has a great week enjoying life and training with the family :) If you have any fitness or wellness questions that you want answered in detail and based in medical research, feel free to comment and ask! I love helping people with their real concerns. Maybe your question will even be the topic of a future post
.


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Fitness Anytime Anywhere

4/29/2014

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Many people are so ingrained in associating the gym with working out that they forget that they can train anywhere at any time. All you have to do is be creative! You do not necessarily need to put aside a consecutive hour of your life to get a great workout on any given day. Why not plan mini workouts throughout your day.

Above is an example of a study session workout, but you can use this format between errands, during commercials on TV, and even after each cleaning chore in the house (one set after unloading the dishes, one set after putting away groceries, one set after bathing the kids, etc.)

In our busy lives, sometimes we need to think differently about the way we schedule our time. If training and staying fit is a priority in your life, on busy days, try this method of working out. The kids can join in the fun with you! Getting fit together is a great way to bond and share in the journey.
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Board Games Transformed (Twister) #2

4/22/2014

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I LOVE the game twister in its natural state, but there are so many ways to use the mat and spinner to make a new game out of a traditional one.

Place sheets around the house or living room with colors matching those on the twister mat/spinner. At each colored station, have an exercise. When a color is spun, the players run to the placed color, do the exercise and run back. The first player back to the mat gets to put a marker (A toy, a card, a sheet of their favorite color) on top of one of the circles of the matching color on the mat. This is to symbolize that they won that round. The winner is determined by the first player to make a straight line (like in connect 4 or bingo).
You can play as many times as you would like, changing the exercises or the bingo design needed to be made on the mat in order to win. Have some fun and get creative!

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Board Games Transformed (Yahtzee) #1

4/15/2014

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Need a way to entertain kids AND get them moving without having to break the bank with camps and classes? Try transforming traditional board games into fitness activities with a competitive twist! Pull out the board games you have always loved and have a family game night in a new way. Check out the first of these examples and then get creative and make your own.


Yahtzee: Play the board game the traditional way, but add a fitness twist. Use the score sheet as your workout guide, for example:

1's: Push ups for each 1 you record
2's: 2 Burpees for each 2 you record
3's: 3 Sit ups for each 3 you record
4's: 4 jumping jacks for each 4 you record
5's: 5 leg raises for each 5 you record
6's: 6 high jumps for each 6 you record

*For the more exciting rolls, make more exciting workouts!
Chance line: Do 6 star jumps or run to the front door and back
Yahtzee: You can pick someone else to do any of the other workouts listed
3 of a kind: Pick 2 other players to do one workout with you

4 of a kind: Do
4 jumping jacks x the number of your 4 of a kind (if you got 4 sixes, 4x6=24)
Full house: Run and touch the door of every room in your house as fast as possible
Small straight: 30 second plank
Large Straight: 1 minute plank


Get creative with your board game fitness. Do what works for you and what you have in your house. Tailor the workouts to your own family's level of fitness and ages. Have some board game fun!



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Park Fitness with the Kids

3/25/2014

2 Comments

 
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Some days, we have to get our bodies moving and our blood pumping but are not able to get to the gym for various reasons. If your reason is that you have kids, this is the post for you! Grab the kids and head to the local park (this is ok in rain, snow, or sunshine).  Use all of the facilities that the park has to make a game that gives you and the kids a workout. I have a list below of some ideas for fitness activities disguised as games!

 
  • Have a timed race across the monkey bars 
  • (mom and dad can do pull ups to slow themselves down and make it a better exercise)
  • Sprint to the nearest light post
  • Do crab walks, duck walks, and bear crawls in sand or on grass
  • Find sand and have a long jump competition
  • Teach the kids to do an assisted pull up (the parents get to work out their arms lifting the kid repeatedly!)
  • Do burpees or star jumps for time.
  • Have a relay race using a stick as a baton 
  • Or go back to tradition and play catch. Make it more of a workout by including sprinting to missed balls
Get the whole family together for a great time and a great workout!




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Medicine Ball Volleyball 

2/25/2014

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This is my all-time favorite fitness game. You can gather a group of friends as you would for sand volleyball or basketball, and meet at a volleyball court or just in an open area. All you really need is a medicine ball in order to play! If you can find a volleyball net, the game gets a little more difficult which makes it competitive and fun.

Use the medicine ball as the volleyball and score the game the same way you would if you were playing sand volleyball. Instead of bumping setting, spiking, you will catch the medicine ball in proper form allowing your knees to bend (without hunching your back) and you will return the ball by throwing it, any way you can, over the net to the other team. Points are made when the ball hits the ground.

This game becomes a very fun and competitive way to workout and bond with friends. Just be careful to catch an throw with proper form. Make sure, before you start, to have someone demonstrate how to catch the weight of the ball without getting injured. Have fun!

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